EAST STROUDSBURG -- A car crashed into a restaurant Thursday in Monroe County.

"It sounded like an explosion, you know? People love Trackside so much that they decided to make the front entrance a drive-thru," said Michael Tepedino, Trackside Station owner.

It was just around 10 a.m. on Thursday when a security camera caught a car barreling backward into the front doors of Trackside Station on Crystal Street in East Strousburg.

Owner Michael Tepedino is making the best of the situation.

He says it was all an accident. While the driver was backing up, he hit the gas instead of the brakes.

"I usually like to remodel differently but you know if this is how we are going to remodel, it is how it is. Everyone is fine, no one got hurt. It was a great way to wake up and start my day," said Tepedino.

Because these doors were custom made, it's going to take a little while to repair the broken one. In the meantime, the restaurant will remain open, just "please use the better door."

Harley Fish made these doors years ago out of Spanish cedar.

He says it will take a little time, but believes he can fix it.

"We are gonna have to make new ones it looks like. New jambs, casings, it's going to be a project. We did it once so we will do it again," said Harley Fish, Harley Fish Custom Woodworking.

The crash happened just before the restaurant opened for lunch, so only workers were inside.

Tepedino says he's glad it was just the doors that took a beating and not anything else.

"They missed everything. It was perfect, a bulls-eye. Spot on," said Tepedino.

Trackside Station is still open and there are plans for a temporary fix. In the meantime, the owner says he doesn't mind the appearance.

Suggest A Correction

10 comments

Please

Oh, I’m so relieved that the Trackside Station is still open.

Now, is it safe for people to drive through Harrisburg without getting caught in the middle of a terrorist shooting rampage? Oh…..right. WNEP never reported on that event, so it never happened. Sort of how the Trackside Station wouldn’t be damaged if WNEP had chosen not to run a story on that, either. Neato.